Bamberg County Treasurer Alice Johnson to retire after 18 years

Bamberg County will lose one of its most central financial posts on May 1, when longtime Treasurer Alice P. Johnson steps down after nearly 18 years, a change that reaches into tax collections, county payouts and the money flow behind everyday local government.

Johnson cited health reasons for her retirement, and Bamberg County Council had already put the treasurer’s office on its April 14 agenda, alongside budget updates and county operations. The discussion came during the council’s regular monthly meeting at the Bamberg County Courthouse Annex on North Street in Bamberg, where the county’s leaders were already looking at how to manage the transition.

The treasurer’s office is not a narrow clerical post. In Bamberg County, it collects real, personal, motor vehicle and other taxes, oversees their disbursement to county government, municipalities, schools and special taxing districts, maintains records of all revenues collected, and serves as custodian for funds of most county departments. That makes the May 1 departure more than a personnel change. It affects one of the offices that keeps the county’s finances moving on schedule.

State officials have also moved to recognize the vacancy. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s office issued an executive order saying a vacancy will exist in the office of Treasurer of Bamberg County effective May 1, 2026, marking the resignation as an official state-level turnover, not just a local announcement.

The timing matters for taxpayers because the treasurer’s office sits at the center of county tax administration, alongside the auditor’s office and the delinquent tax office. Any transition in leadership can affect how smoothly property tax bills, vehicle taxes and related payments are processed, along with the county’s ability to pass revenues through to schools, municipalities and special taxing districts without interruption.

Johnson’s long tenure also means the county is losing a deeply familiar financial steward. In 2015, she tied the county’s credit standing directly to taxpayer savings, saying the rating would help Bamberg County get better interest rates and “save money for our taxpayers.” That same concern now hangs over the transition: keeping county finances steady while one of the office’s most experienced hands steps away.